Skip the apples -- totally unnecessary -- but this french toast is my go-to french toast recipe. I make it at least once a month, often for guests who routinely marvel that it's the best french toast they've ever had. Also add 1 tbsp. dark rum to the egg mixture if you have it lying around. No need for syrup with this delicious recipe. Very important to use big, thick pieces of bread -- no sliced bread from the bag.

I would make sure that star anise flavor suits your taste before leaving the spice in for the entire duration of the reduction process. I just put in one star and took it out abt 5 mins afterwards. Also, I don't like soggy French toast, so I halved the milk portion. I also added some heated maple syrup to the liquid for a guest who preferred a more syrupy consistency.

This recipe is a good start, but I took liberties and made a few changes. I pie-sliced the apples rather than halving them and simmered, rather than poached them. I used a medium-sweet white wine (instead of water) and maple syrup (instead of honey). Didn't have a vanilla bean, so I used about 1 teaspoon extract in the sauce. Yummy.